
Rishabh Pant (Photo by PTI) NEW DELHI: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain Rishabh Pant’s performances and massive IPL price tag have come under scrutiny after a disappointing last season where he struggled for consistency as the team missed out on the playoffs. Bought for a record Rs 27.50 crore, the wicket-keeper batsman is now being urged to rethink his approach as he seeks a return to India’s white-ball set-up.Speaking to Star Sports, former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis criticized Pant’s lack of a clear game plan, saying: “Even in his method in Test cricket, it looks all over the place.
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Gujarat Titans believe ahead of IPL 2026: ‘We are here to win, not participate’ “But there’s got to be something in his head that says this is the plan I want to play with in Test cricket. It’s the same as in T20 cricket. You just have to figure out what your game plan is so you have the best chance of not being 1 or 2 out of 10 players and instead being a 60 to 70 per cent player where you can have consistency.”He added that Pant seems overwhelmed by too many shot options: “It boils down to him having too many options in his head. I feel like he can hit a six off every ball… But you still need a method even in T20 batting… with Pant you feel like he’s always on edge.”Du Plessis also questioned Pant’s huge auction value despite modest T20 numbers. He added: “You look at a player like Pant in the auction and you wonder why there is so much craze for someone like him… If you look at his T20 numbers, it’s not that great. So why is there such an obsession with him?” Pant scored just 269 runs at an average of 24.45 last season, his lowest in IPL history, raising concerns about whether he has lived up to expectations.





